Tears for Twilight Hollow IC

[Graywolf-ELM]

List male human Rogue

"We lost it girl." With a pat to Ruths' neck again. "Better head back before we get completely lost. I don't fancy running off on my own." List turns Ruth around and heads back to the group.

To Jalen and the rest.
"There was a light heading off to the North. I didn't want to get separated so I came back."

 

[Endur]

Sybil says that it was an honor to make the acquaintance of such accomplished heroes and says that she must excuse herself to continue her search for herbs.

Sybil wanders off into the fog to the north east.

What does the party do next?

 

[Karl Green]

Dra'vin Frostblood, human male ranger

Dra'vin looks to Jalen (and hopefully the returned List) and says in a low voice "Ah, maybe I could find some tracks left by whomever was holding the lights... wandering around at night in this area, more then likely they are up to no good... ah except if you are looking also for herbs or something I guess..." he looks to where Sybil disappeared into the fog and gloom

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"Didn't someone say they found tracks into the water? It may be that something lives under the water. Were there any other tracks?" Jalen asks, looking with concern after Sybil.

 

[Shenanigans]

Tohav will follow the others wherever they lead, since he is fresh out of ideas, and isn't exactly a tracking expert.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"Dra'vin found the tracks both into the water and around the bowl, we should look either of those two places, I think. I would rather not swim here... but we may have to. But first let us examine the bowl, there may be some entrance here that is hidden perhaps. The bandits must be hiding somewhere... perhaps Harular's Claws have some place here they stay," Jalen says, urging Cloud over to the bowl to search it more thoroughly.

 

[Endur]

The party searches the area.

No tracks appear to be in the bowl. In fact, the earth in the bowl is hard and stiff, quite unlike the mud of most of the rest of the marsh, as if the are had been covered for decades until being exposed recently.

Tracks surround the bowl, particularly the tracks of the Giant.

Dra'vin thinks the tracks of the giant lead in the direction of the village (back the way they came) and are deeper than other tracks, as if the giant was carrying something heavy. Unfortunately, the tracks of the giant are at least a month old, and the rain has done much to obscure them. And he quickly loses the trail after he goes thirty feet from the sunken bowl.

Dra'vin also find the much more recent tracks of a Giant Centipede of some sort leading to the north as well as the tracks of a somewhat smaller creature leading to the north-east.

Dra'vin thinks the smaller creature is a carrior crawler that was feasting on the remains of the squire every night. Its lair is probably to the north east, where the ruins appear to be centered.

Although it is noon, the fog reduces visibility considerably. At night, the marsh will become a nightmare.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"The center of the ruins may hold the best promise for searching... We can try there at least," Jalen says, thinking out loud.

 

[Endur]

The party follows the tracks of the Carrion Crawler towards the center of the ruins. Dra'vin isn't sure, but from the frequency of the tracks, there may be more than one carrion crawler.

Out of the fog, a great shadowy shape appears.

The great edifice that once stood here is now but a jumbled ruin surrounding you. The tall splinters of hewn rock form countless nooks and crannies large enough to conceal various lurking beasts. Emating from within one of these crannies, near to the ground, is a dim yellow light.

The light appears to be coming from a hole that leads underground. The hole is mostly blocked by a massive ten foot wide, twenty foot long, twelve foot tall stone. Erosion appears to have created a crack of an opening that a small creature might be able to sneak through. The tracks of the carrion crawler(s) lead through the crack and down the hole.

Looking down the hole, Dra'vin thinks it has been years (or decades or centuries) since any humanoid has traveled down that hole. Once it might have been a staircase, but mud and overgrowth would make traveling down it very hazardous.

List and the others except Zinnias thinks they can probably squeeze through the crack, but are somewhat concerned about their ability to navigate the overgrown stairs without breaking their necks. Zinnias, the largest of the group, would never be able to squeeze through the crack while wearing his armor. And of course, the horses could not fit through either.

The glowing light appears to be coming from around the corner of the bottom of the stairs. As if someone has left a lantern hanging on a hook on a wall. Dra'vin is certain that if that is the lantern they saw in the swamp earlier, whoever left it must have taken a different route down, for there are no tracks going through the crack, other than the tracks of the carrion crawlers.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"Maybe there's another way in somewhere..." Jalen thinks, dismounting and giving Cloud a pat on the nose for being so patient in this terrible place. She starts to circle the ruins, looking for another entrance.